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Speculation suggests that the Kansas City Chiefs could lose Eric Bieniemy to an NFL team with a head coaching vacancy this offseason. However, Andy Reid’s offensive coordinator is not the only key staff member of the Chiefs’ front office drawing attention from talent-hungry teams.
Each year, former NFL scout and founder of The Scouting Academy Dan Hatman releases his NFL General Manager Candidate Study. The 2020 study lists 40 potential GM candidates including one prominent Chiefs executive – Director of Football Operations Mike Borgonzi.
41 GM/decision maker changes later, the last decade has shown us stability in front offices is a myth.
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Borgonzi headlines a targeted list of candidates from teams in the playoff hunt, or as Hatman puts it, the group he is expecting to see “the most action in the GM cycle if jobs come open in January.”
While NFL general manager vacancies aren’t nearly as prevalent as NFL head coaches, the demand could very well exceed the yearly average in 2020. In a recent article on ESPN, NFL Insider Dan Graziano named the Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Houston Texans, and Atlanta Falcons as teams to keep an eye on for potential front office shake-ups this offseason.
Another Notable Mention of Borgonzi
Kansas City has had a few scout-to-GM success stories over the past few seasons. In 2017, the Indianapolis Colts hired then-Chiefs Director of Player Personnel Chris Ballard to replace former GM Ryan Grigson. A few months later in June 2017, the Chiefs parted ways with general manager John Dorsey. To fill the vacancy, the team promoted internally and named their co-director of player personnel Brett Veach to the GM role.
It’s certainly plausible that Borgonzi could be next in line for a top job, especially given the pedigree to talent to come out of Kansas City in recent years. Back in May, Bleacher Report’s lead NFL Draft writer Matt Miller also made mention of Borgonzi as a worthy candidate for 2020.
“Like [Chris] Ballard before him, [Borgonzi] is known as a very thorough evaluator, but he’s also praised for the type of staff he’ll build,” Miller wrote. “Ballard went to Indianapolis and hired [Ed] Dodds, but he also added Rex Hogan (New York Jets) and did a great job keeping key scouts already with the Colts instead of cleaning house. Borgonzi is expected to be that kind of thinker who will put the good of the team over his ego.”
Borgonzi’s Boasts an Attractive NFL Background
Currently serving in his second season as Kansas City’s Director of Football Operations, Borgonzi is finishing up his 11th year in the NFL, all with the Chiefs. Since being hired as the team’s college scouting administrator in 2009, Borgonzi has worked his way up the ranks to the tune of six promotions over the past decade.
His background prior to joining Kansas City includes playing and coaching experience, as well as a stint in the finance world. According to the Chiefs media guide, the Brown University fullback (1998-01) was on NFL radars before an injury ended his playing career and began his transition to other facets of the sport.
The Everett, Mass., native had a tryout with the Buffalo Bills in 2002 and attended training camp with the Green Bay Blizzard of Arena Football 2 in 2003 before an injury forced his retirement.
Borgonzi’s brother, Dave, also has nearly a decade of NFL coaching experience and is currently serving as the Colts linebackers coach.
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